Here at Jujubee, we’ve always thought that games should address current and serious topics. In the case of our historical-documentary game KURSK we touched on the subject of the Russian submarine tragedy and to what end an arms race could lead to, in Deep Diving Simulator we focused on issues relat...
Here at Jujubee, we’ve always thought that games should address current and serious topics. In the case of our historical-documentary game KURSK we touched on the subject of the Russian submarine tragedy and to what end an arms race could lead to, in Deep Diving Simulator we focused on issues related to the ecology and protection of our underwater world, and Realpolitiks tackles the problem of terrorism and migrations. In COVID: The Outbreak we allow the players to face the most current and touching topic of all - a pandemic of a dangerous virus.
As the leader of the Global Health Organization (GHO) your task is to contain the spread of a coronavirus and save humanity before it is too late.
In addition to crisis management, the game provides the players with information on how to behave in the event of an epidemic, what actions to take, and how to protect themselves and their loved ones in the most effective way. The game is based on the data published by WHO and on the information acquired from experts and consultants.
Through your actions, you will be able to see how difficult it is to manage during a crisis, what impact various decisions can have on an effective fight against a global epidemic, which can be caused by listening to charlatans or the lack of appropriate medical equipment.
The virus will adapt to your actions by means of mutation so you must predict and take into account its transmission abilities, time of incubation, drug resistance, and a whole lot more. Decide whether a country should close its borders and quarantine citizens to reduce the number of new infections, or construct new hospitals and emergency tents to speed up the recovery of the already infected. Choose wisely.
FEATURES:
Pandemic Management - advise the world what needs to be done in order to survive the dreadful disease; manage funds, staff, medicine, and research priorities.
Issue Emergency Decrees - declare national emergency and close borders, enforce obligatory vaccination, close schools and airports. Do whatever it takes to stop the coronavirus.
Research New Projects - developing new ways to fight off the disease is a sound strategy. Remember to be cautious as your enemy may mutate, rendering your newly acquired ability completely useless.
Unpredictable Events - how you handle the ongoing fake news, mass stockpiling of supplies, or people ignoring the incoming threat will go a long way towards deciding whether you will prevail against the disease, or succumb to it.
Construct Vital Buildings - build hospitals, emergency tents, research institutions, checkpoints, police stations, and a whole lot more. Every building you enact may become the decisive factor in stopping the outbreak.
Games Beyond™ - educate yourself on how a coronavirus operates, what can you do if you become infected, and why quarantines are issued. Understand why a pandemic is a threat to humanity.
I don't know which is worse -- that a company decided it was greedy enough to make a video game out of a current, real-life, ongoing tragedy or that it decided to be so insulting about it by donating to charity 20% of net sales for two months. Gee, wow. Two WHOLE months? Nope. The game was released on May 29, so it's really donating 20% of the net sales of 33 days worth of sales. After the first 33 days, nothing goes to charity and the company will profit 100% from the suffering and deaths we are currently experiencing and will be experiencing for the foreseeable future.
I can't help but think -- GOG decides THIS is a worthy game, but they reject other games? One must wonder where the barometer lies.
I haven't played this, so this is a review of the concept and timing, both of which are terrible. I'm not a pearl clutcher, and I typically beg to be offended and often offend others, but this is just icky to me. If the game stands on its own merits it wouldn't need a sensationalist title like this. Could have been named after any generic outbreak or pandemic. Obvious attempt to cash in on a global catastrophe that's still killing thousands of people every day.
To exploit a crisis, and make a video game out of real life events... this takes things way to far. Satire has a place but not in the context of COVID directly as your payline title.
This really should not be supported in any way.
